Appetizing Muse

Wilbert took over in the kitchen this morning, where he finished the last batches of Irish Shortbread and M&M Cookies. He did an excellent job, especially with the shortbread. His are perfectly shaped and a bit thicker than mine, and he also added the exact amount of sugar so people could experience the treat as it's meant to be.

As Wilbert mixed the ingredients for the shortbread, he softened the butter slightly in a bowl over a pot of boiling water. This seemed to make all the difference in handling and assembling the shortbread dough - in other words, much simpler.

All of the goodies are to be given away as small gifts. For the shortbread, I printed off holiday recipe cards which I'll fold in half and attach to the present, the recipients name written on the blank side. I'm also using miniature decorative tie-wrap bows, perfect for securing the colored tissue wrapped around the shortbread.

The M&M cookies will be wrapped similarly, with most of the bounty going to Wilbert's co-workers and a few of my friends and family.